The ESMO Foundation is a charitable not-for-profit organization that supports the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in its strive to improve the fight against cancer and the care of cancer patients in and out Europe (from prevention, to early diagnosis, treatment, palliative care and end-of-life care).

Håkan Mellstedt, Chair of the ESMO Foundation,
explains the foundation’s role and mission to support
optimal treatment and care of cancer patients.

 

During our lifetime each of us or our loved ones face the possibility of being afflicted with cancer. Therefore, it is more important than ever to join forces to fight this devastating disease.

The ESMO Foundation supports the development of the necessary resources to fight against cancer, i.e.:

• highly qualified healthcare professionals
• developed healthcare infrastructures and services
• competitive research, training and knowledge transfer

The ESMO Foundation allocates grants and awarding fellowships in close collaboration with ESMO and develops specific actions like organizing training courses for health professionals, seminars for patients and their relatives and fostering contacts with different stakeholders.

From 2004 the ESMO Foundation helped to improve cancer care in Europe by raising funds to support the education, training and scientific work of dedicated, highly qualified clinicians and researchers.

The ESMO Foundation is also focused on the empowerment of patients by promoting information and education about their disease and the various treatment options.

The ESMO Foundation also supported an important political event through sponsorship of a parallel session dedicated to cancer during the "Health Strategies in Europe" Meeting on 12-13 July 2007, as part of the Portuguese EU Presidency in July 2007. The main objective of the cancer meeting was to draft strong recommendations for a "Strategy Against Cancer in Europe".

“The last few decades have seen considerable progress in cancer control in the European Union but the burden of cancer is still heavy.

Statistics are not positive: inequalities in incidence, mortality and survival characterize cancer treatment in the European Union and in the world. Access to treatment and quality of care, as well as the chance to survive, greatly depend on where patients are born and live, on the socio-economic groups to which they belong and on the type of cancer from which they suffer.

In 2008, the ESMO Foundation will increase its visibility in Europe and in Brussels where the operations will be centralized.

The ESMO Foundation will focus on:

• The allocation of specific grants and fellowships
• The improvement of communication between health professionals and cancer patients
• The political agenda of the European Union and the priority for fight against cancer during the EU Presidency”

H. Mellstedt
Chair of the Board of Trustees